Season 1
16 episodes Aug 23, 2023 8.6
A lawyer bound by a centuries-old curse becomes entangled with a civil servant who holds the key to his freedom — igniting an unexpected romance.
Overview
A lawyer bound by a centuries-old curse becomes entangled with a civil servant who holds the key to his freedom — igniting an unexpected romance.
Seasons
1 listed- Status
- Ended
- Seasons
- 1 season
- Episodes
- 16 episodes
- First aired
- Aug 23, 2023
- Last aired
- Oct 12, 2023
- Episode length
- 65m
- Network
- JTBC
Latest episode: S1 E16 Episode 16 (Oct 12, 2023)
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readWhen a Curse Becomes a Routine
I kept waiting for Destined with You to decide whether it wanted to be a fairy tale, a workplace comedy, or a melodrama about people who are far too attractive to have ordinary problems. It never really picks one, which is part of its charm and part of its trouble. latestnetflix.com's read is that for most of its 16 episodes, the series moves the way a smooth-talking stranger does when they’re not sure if they’re flirting or apologizing: with confidence, then a little wobble, then confidence again.
What makes that interesting, at least to me, is that the show is built on a very old device — the curse — but uses it in a very contemporary way. This isn’t a sprawling fantasy epic, and it’s not really interested in the mechanics of magic beyond what’s needed to nudge two people into the same room. Instead, it treats enchantment like an inconvenient workplace policy.
Lee Hong-jo (Cho Bo-ah), a civil servant with enough loneliness under her cheerful exterior to fill a whole second series, ends up carrying the key to Jang Shin-yu’s (Rowoon) release from a family curse that has shadowed him for generations. The setup is melodramatic in the best K-drama sense, but the execution is lighter, almost breezy. That breeze can be welcome.
Sometimes it’s just air.
The show arrives in a crowded field. By 2023, Korean romantic fantasy had already taught viewers to expect ornamental spells, handsome misery, and fate that behaves like an overworked office assistant. So the real question isn’t whether Destined with You has a novelty premise; it doesn’t.
The question is whether it can make that premise feel alive. Sometimes it does this through tone, especially when it lets the romantic banter land with a little sting instead of turning every exchange into a bouquet. Sometimes it does it through mood — the way the camera lingers on empty corridors, municipal buildings after hours, or a face caught in half-light, as if the city itself were complicit in all this predetermined longing.
Rowoon is a useful figure for this kind of material because he comes with a very particular screen presence: all long limbs, carefully contained expression, and the faint air of someone who always seems just on the edge of embarrassment. That helps here. Shin-yu has to be both polished professional and absurdly doomed man, and Rowoon never overplays either side.
He tends to stand very still before he moves, which gives even the smallest gesture a kind of reluctant dignity. In earlier roles he’s often been asked to wear beauty like an accessory; here, his attractiveness is almost a burden the show keeps putting on the hook by the door. Cho Bo-ah, meanwhile, has the harder job, because Hong-jo can’t just be adorable.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsRowoon’s High-Stakes Exit and the Cursed Romance of Destined with You
Destined with You (2023) arrived on JTBC as a supernatural rom-com with a twist: a 300-year-old cursed book, a lawyer bound by fate, and a civil servant caught in the crossfire. But behind the scenes, the drama’s lead, Rowoon, latestnetflix.com argues, was navigating a career-defining transition—one that left fans reeling.
The SF9 Shake-Up: Rowoon’s Emotional Goodbye
Just weeks into the drama’s run, Rowoon—who rose to fame as the lead vocalist of K-pop group SF9—dropped a bombshell: he was leaving the boy band after seven years. The September 2023 announcement from FNC Entertainment confirmed his departure, with SF9 continuing as an eight-member group 
. While the agency framed it as a mutual decision, Rowoon’s apology to fans hinted at deeper tensions. In a now-deleted social media post, he expressed regret for the timing, writing, “I’m sorry for the worry and disappointment. I’ll work harder to show you a better side of me.”
The split fueled speculation about creative differences or contract disputes, though neither Rowoon nor FNC provided details. What’s clear is that Destined with You became a pivotal project for him—a chance to prove his acting chops outside the idol sphere. The drama’s premise, after all, mirrored his real-life pivot: a man breaking free from a long-held role to embrace an uncertain future.
A Cursed Role and a Career Reboot
On-screen, Rowoon played Jang Shin-yu, a hotshot lawyer whose life unravels when he inherits a centuries-old curse tied to a mysterious book. The role demanded a mix of charm, vulnerability, and comedic timing—qualities Rowoon had honed in previous dramas like The King’s Affection (2021) but never as the sole male lead . Critics noted his chemistry with co-star Cho Bo-ah, who played civil servant Lee Hong-jo, though the supernatural plot’s uneven pacing overshadowed some performances.
Off-screen, the drama’s production was smooth sailing compared to Rowoon’s personal upheaval. The series aired its final episode on October 12, 2023, wrapping up its eight-episode run without major delays or scandals . Still, the timing of Rowoon’s SF9 exit—midway through Destined with You’s broadcast—raised eyebrows. Was the drama a calculated step toward solo stardom, or a risky gamble during a turbulent career shift?
What’s Next for Rowoon?
With SF9 in the rearview, Rowoon’s focus has shifted to acting and solo music. His post-Destined with You projects, however, remain under wraps. Rumors of a new drama or album have circulated, but nothing’s been confirmed. What is certain is that his role in the series marked a turning point—one where he traded the safety of a group for the unpredictability of leading-man status.
For fans, the drama’s legacy is bittersweet: a fun, if flawed, rom-com overshadowed by its star’s real-life drama. As for Rowoon, Destined with You may be remembered as the project that forced him to rewrite his own fate—cursed book optional.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
Series
Similar Series
Related series ranked by rating and popularity.
